Biblical Church Leadership
The New Testament teaches us that two offices should exist within every local Church: the office of elder and the office of deacon.
Elders are those biblically qualified men who serve Christ and the members of a local covenant community by leading the church. Elders exert spiritual
authority over a congregation through teaching, protecting, guiding and shepherding the people of God (1 Thessalonians 5:12). Deacons are
those biblically qualified men and women who serve Christ, the elders and the members of a local church by meeting the practical needs
within a congregation of believers.
We must always be diligent in maintaining a clear distinction between the ministry of elders and the ministry of deacons. While both serve
the church, their mode of service must be defined by the New Testament. Both spiritual leadership and the meeting of practical needs must
be accomplished within every church. To confuse the roles of elders and deacons will certainly lead to confusion and disunity within the
body of Christ.
We must understand the role of deacon as serving the church by faithfully taking care of responsibilities that the primary leaders and
teachers cannot perform due to their calling to
devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4).
The leadership of this local church is entrusted to the Council of Elders. The elders are men from within the membership of the church
who have met the
biblical qualifications, exhibited a God-given desire to perform the duties of an elder, and
received affirmation by the members to do so. These men are responsible for governing the church, shepherding the flock, and having
oversight of the spiritual affairs of the body
(1 Timothy 5:17). The elders are equal in authority but may be specialized in
function.
|
Left to right: Dave Applegate, Pastor Shane Martin, Ken Butler, Walt Lawrence
|
Teaching Pastor:
T. Shane Martin
| Shane Martin has been the primary Teaching Pastor of Green Run Baptist Church since
1998. He and his wife Cara have two children, Luke and Owen. |
| |
Elder:
David Applegate Sr. |
David Applegate is currently serving as the Treasurer of the
Council of Elders. He and his wife Susan have been members of Green Run Baptist Church since 1983. |
| |
Elder:
Ken Butler |
Ken Butler is currently serving as the Vice-Chairman of the Council
of Elders. He and his wife Nancy have been members of Green Run Baptist Church since 2000. |
| |
Elder:
Walt Lawrence |
Walt Lawrence was born in Norfolk, VA. Walt graduated from Princess Anne HS
in 1962 and immediately enlisted in the United State Air Force and served over 7 years. After leaving the USAF in 1969,
he spent over 28 years in law enforcement. He retired from the Virginia Beach Police Department in 1999. He and his wife,
Carol, have one daughter, Jennifer Allesandro. They have been members since 2007. |
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